I could write a small novella on the truly pathetic state of the manufacturing, sales, and service in the cycling world. Simply put: businesses selling any other category of products could never survive if they stepped on their toes as much as bicycle companies do. That novella will be the next several blog entries here.

If you have ever tried to buy a high-performance bike, you know what I mean. Now, if you want something off the showroom floor, you're good to go...sort of. What follows is a tale that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you feel a thousand emotions.

Bicycle shops are notorious for being unfriendly places to the uninitiated. I am not one of those neophytes, but I once was. I recall going into shops where the "sales associates" were notably annoyed that they had been interrupted by a customer- especially one who doesn't know all that the omniscient staff members already do. It's about the same feeling you get going into a music store like Guitar Center.

Now that I am an experienced cyclist, and I know the drill, I watch the tentative and naive people who come in wanting a bike just so they can shed a few pounds. They are normally treated poorly if they are acknowledged at all. It's universal in bike shops.

Now, I am purchasing my second high-perf bike. It's also my second Trek. It has literally taken since SEPTEMBER of 2004 for the bike shop to get the bike ordered and request that it be shipped. Part of it is the fault of the shop. Part of it is SNAFU's back at Trek HQ in Wisconsin. I'll give all of the gory detail in due time, but the next few blog entries should be required reading for anyone who runs a bike shop or manufactures bicycles. It is also a primer for anyone who dares breach the doorway of a cycling shop to buy a spare tube.

I'm not going to pull any punches here, jot even on myself. I will describe where I went wrong as well. The customer is not always right! It's just that we are right more often than the people trying to take our money.

Buckle in, faithful readers. I'm taking you on a tour of the rough underworld of high-performance bike purchasing.